FRAMED (1947)

FRAMED (1947). Director: Richard Wallace. 

Unemployed mining engineer Mike Lambert (Glenn Ford) encounters a duplicitous female named Paula (Janis Carter), and is unaware -- as we learn almost from the start -- that she hopes to use him in a deadly plot involving her boyfriend, Steve, a married bank executive (Barry Sullivan). Edgar Buchanan plays Jeff, a man who wants to hire Mike for his mine but can't get the capital he needs from Steve (because it will interfere with his dastardly plot). This is an entertaining melodrama with some interesting twists and turns and good performances. Carter is certainly fun as one of the most sociopathic femme fatales you've ever seen. She also had a small role in Miss Grant Takes Richmond and appeared in various "Whistler" movies. A problem with the movie is that all of the characters, even Ford's, are unlikable. 

Verdict: Nasty, nasty ... **1/2.